


Delcarations in the Clouds

by DarthTella



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Introspection, Kissing, Love Confessions, Romance, Sleepy Cuddles, tentoo being an idiot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:08:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28098936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarthTella/pseuds/DarthTella
Summary: On their way back to England, Tentoo fears whether or not Rose will actually accept him.
Relationships: Metacrisis Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler
Comments: 9
Kudos: 59





	Delcarations in the Clouds

Stars shone outside the zeppelin window, but the Doctor wasn’t watching them anymore. It wasn’t like he didn’t want to, he was absolutely proud that it was through Rose Tyler that they were back where they should be in the night sky. She had risked her life for months on end to find him so they could save every universe out there, but the Doctor refused to take all the credit; Rose was the one that did all the hard work.

Still, the Dimension Cannon Project was something he would have put a stop to under normal circumstances. Poking holes into the walls of the universe and shooting someone through the void and into another without any sort of sheilds; it was absolute madness! Although, he idly wondered what he would have done if he had come across such a thing in the Prime Universe. Would he have been tempted to use it to search for Rose? Could he have risked the multiverse to get her back? The stars hadn’t yet begun to disappear en-masse, and wouldn’t have until Davros detonated the Reality Bomb, so there wouldn’t have been any perceivable threat to the universe at large.

Would he have let his hearts guide his actions instead of his brain? That did seem like something he would do.

All the what-ifs were a moot point now. Against all odds, Rose came back to him once again and he was back by her side where he belonged. And there he would stay as long as Rose wanted him there. It was still a bit unclear whether or not she would still ultimately accept this part-human version of him. He wasn’t the Doctor she was expecting to reunite with, and this wasn’t the universe she expected to live the rest of her life. He just hoped he could spend it with her.

During the past three hours, twenty seven minutes and fifty-ish seconds of their flight back to England, the constant drone of the zeppelin's engines had lulled the Doctor into a drowsy state. He wasn’t the only one either. Jackie had nodded off two hours ago and her soft snores also permeated the cabin. Despite that - and to his utter dismay - he was now having trouble keeping his eyes open. He didn’t understand why he was so tired, though. Regeneration always seemed to zap him of some energy as his body still continued to heal itself. This metacrisis may have been caused by a regeneration and it did rewrite parts of his DNA and this body had a few drastic physical differences than his original body, like having a single heart and a much shorter lifespan. But he had gained energy! He was literally formed out of it! Plus he should have had even more energy from the absolutely delectable fish and chips the on-board cook prepared for him and Rose. He couldn’t remember a time when he had felt so hungry; but then he realised that this body has not yet had its first meal. This was where he discovered yet another difference his now part-human body had. Somehow his tastebuds were now extra sensitive to the actual taste of the food instead of simply breaking down it’s molecular structure for his brain to analyse. Yes, he could still do that - his mind was still fully Time Lord as far as he could tell - but that now all came secondary to him while eating. 

Besides all that, it was such a delight to share a meal with Rose again, especially when it was one of her favourites. All the stress she had been carrying seemed to leave her as she tucked into her food and as they joked and stole chips from one another just like they used to. Seeing her smile and hearing her laugh again was the best feeling in the world. And the fact that she wasn’t treating him any different since the Metacrisis was probably a good sign.

But there was one little thing that unnerved the Doctor a little. Well, perhaps not  _ unnerved _ him per-se as it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling, just one he had much more control over before. Rose’s little hums of pure bliss as she ate caused some rather  _ interesting _ things to his insides and caused his imagination to run amok. Images and scenarios flashed through his mind of Rose making those kinds of sounds in a completely different kind of setting. Unbidden, his brain started to work out what he needed to do in order to cause Rose to make them. What he needed to do to bring her even greater pleasure. But some of that required a more hands-on approach. How hard would it be to reach over and just...

His head dipped forward at an odd angle and it startled him back into wakefulness; the vivid scenarios his brain was conjoinering up regarding Rose abruptly ending. Something felt wet on his chin, and he was horrified to find that he had drooled a tiny bit. He also glanced down at himself happy his body wasn't betraying what he was dreaming about. Watching from the seat beside him, Rose laughed.

“Need a napkin?” She drawled smiling at him with her tongue caught between her teeth. He stared at it, recalling how it felt to kiss her back on the beach. He wanted to just lean over and kiss her again and see what that tongue of hers could do in action. He just barely reigned in the impulse unsure if stealing another kiss would be welcome. He instead playfully rolled his eyes at her and wiped his face with the sleeve of his jacket.

“Nah, I’m fine. Just a little…” A yawn overtook the end of that sentence and he loudly smacked his lips in distaste, “Blimey, I haven’t been this tired since I was forced to stay awake for a month by very angry Bunbuns.”

Rose snorted, her nose scrunching adorably. Warmth blossomed in his chest at the sight.

“Angry bunnies kept you awake?” She chuckled.

“No. Bunbuns. The name sounds quite adorable, I’ll admit, but they are absolutely  _ terrifying _ . Nothing like the cute and cuddly bunnies you know. Unless the bunnies you know are secretly seven-foot-tall lizards with a venom that temporarily turns you into an insomniac.” The thought of staying awake so long caused another yawn to escape him. “Now you know I don’t need much sleep, but even that venom caused me to…” This time a jaw cracking yawn from Rose interrupted him.

“Sorry, contagious.” She started to wave it off, but she yawned once more, “Are you sure your new… humanness isn’t the thing making you sleepy now?” The Doctor stared at her aghast. He knew this body was part Human, and he thought he’d worked out all the ways he was different from his Time Lord self. Well, aside from the onslaught of hormones that flowed through him while he was near Rose. Apparently there were even more surprises in store for him.

“Oh, that’s just  _ wizard… _ ” he moaned, a tiny bit of Donna’s voice slipping into his words. His head fell back against the leather headrest with a dull thud. “Do you mean to tell me that I’m going to have to spend half of the next sixty to seventy - if I’m really,  _ really  _ lucky and let’s hope I am - years sleeping?”

“Oi, don’t knock it,” Rose patted the back of his hand placatingly, which he then flipped over so he could properly hold hers, “Sleeping’s great. You get to be all comfy and warm. Maybe all cuddled up with…” Rose suddenly broke eye contact with him and the Doctor could see the flush of colour on her cheeks and the stiff way she now held herself. He wasn’t a fool. He knew Rose was still mourning the loss of the  _ other  _ Doctor. Truth be told, he wanted to rip a hole through the void and throttle his other self for being such a wanker. Yes, he was thankful that he was the one that got to be with Rose, but the other him could have been less of an arse and actually have given Rose more of a choice instead of making it sound like she had to take care of what he looked at as some freak of nature or something. A freak of nature that walked, talked and even looked exactly like him. He already dealt with an insane amount of self-loathing after all.

The Doctor sighed. He was probably just as culpable for the way the other Doctor left. Was he trying to sway Rose’s decision by telling her he loved her? It wasn’t a lie, this one single heart of his was overflowing with two hearts full of love for her. It was clear the other Doctor was trying to push Rose into his arms. He was starting to get a headache working out the pronouns. It wasn’t easy dealing with himself on the best of days.

But then there was also the undeniable fact that it was Rose that kissed him first. Did she regret her decision? Was she only putting on a happy face for him even though she would probably do everything to get back to the TARDIS? She hadn’t yet told him she loved him back either. Did she really feel the same way?

Silence stretched between them as he idly played with her fingers. Rose hadn’t pulled her hand away yet so, he took it as permission to keep going. He slotted his fingers in between hers and closed his hand. He smiled as she curled her fingers around his. The fit was still as perfect as ever. On a whim - and because he had nothing else to lose - he lifted her hand and gently kissed each of her knuckles. Rose sighed contentedly and tightened her grip on his hand, her thumb caressing his. His eyes began drifting shut again of their own accord, but he was once again startled awake. This time it was because Rose had let go of his hand and shoved the arm rest between them out of the way so she could worm her way into his lap. He blinked owlishly at her. This was not something he expected her to do, but he also wasn’t going to start complaining. This also coincided with at least seven of the fantasies his brain came up with in his half-asleep state. His arms automatically wrapped around her as she draped herself across his thighs and rested her head on his shoulder. She pressed her hand against his chest, just like she did back on the beach. Her hand rested on the left side of his chest for a few seconds, then the right, then back again.

“Does it feel very different? Just one heart?”

“It’s like…” The Doctor sighed. This wasn’t something he was used to. Yes, he did have to hide in that fob watch and let the human him, John Smith, roam around in a human body. The Doctor remembered all of it, but to John everything felt as it should be. He closed his eyes and concentrated; quite a feat with Rose Tyler in his lap.

“It’s like there’s this itch on the inside I can’t scratch. Like something  _ should  _ be there but isn’t. Or, or it’s kinda like listening to a song that’s missing every other beat.” He shook his head, suddenly at a loss for words.

“So you’re not  _ beating out a samba? _ ” Rose giggled.

“Nah, more of a slow waltz, I’d say.” He nuzzled his cheek against her hair and breathed in deeply, the smell of lavender hitting his nostrils relaxed him a little. The added warmth and weight of her resting on him wasn’t helping him stay awake.

“I missed you, Doctor.” Rose whispered after a long moment of silence, “You’re not exactly what I expected, but I know you’re still the same where it really counts. I’m still going to miss  _ him _ but...” She trailed off. The Doctor wished he could see her face, but was completely unwilling to move out of their cuddle.

“ _ But? _ ” He prompted gently.

“He’s gonna be okay, right? I mean, he still has Donna with him.” There was no way Rose couldn’t hear the way his breaths suddenly became uneven. She shifted in his lap until she could see his face, “Doctor?”

This wasn’t a conversation he wanted to have at this moment. Or ever, really. He’d like to remember things exactly as they were when he left: The Doctor and the Doctor-Donna equal partners traveling the universe. But he knew that wasn’t the case. He could feel what was happening before they departed.

“The Metacrisis… it’s…” He tried to look anywhere but Rose’s face, “Donna’s mind couldn’t handle it. It’s one of the reasons why they left in such a hurry.” Rose stared at him, disbelief written all over his face.

“Is she dead?” Rose squeaked out. The Doctor fought the bile rising up in his throat. Donna wouldn’t have given up without a fight, and he knew without a doubt what the Time Lord had to do to her.

“In a way. The Doctor, he… he would have had to erase Donna’s memories of him and me, the TARDIS, every single one of our adventures. All of it had to go. That Donna Noble is gone. But believe me, she’s going to be taken care of. She’s probably home with her family now.”

“And the Doctor?” He tried not to cringe hearing her call his other self by his name, but really what else could she call him? “He’s all alone. I can’t…” Tears streamed down Rose’s face as her breathing became ragged and uneven. For a moment it seemed like she was going to slide off his lap and run off, but she did the exact opposite, burying her face into the side of his neck. “Tell me he’ll be okay.”

The Doctor held her close, reclining his chair back as far is it would go so he could more comfortably hold Rose. She settled in eagerly.

“He will meet more people. I know he at least has one…” he thought about the mysterious Dr. Song and tried to find the best word to describe how their relationship would evolve, “ _ companion  _ that I met a while back, but somehow she already knew me from the future. It seems like they’re going to have loads of adventures.” The tenses and pronouns were again beginning to give him a slight headache. “But I’m certain he’ll always remember you. You, Rose Tyler, are the love he’ll never forget.”

“Then why didn’t he say it back?”

“I did, remember?” He carded his fingers through her hair and this time gave into the urge to kiss the top of her head.

“But that was you,” Rose stiffened in his arms, “but you’re him too.”

“ _ He _ always wanted to say it.  _ I _ was just the one who had the guts. I’m the one who can love you for the rest of our lives. If that’s what you want. If not I can j--” his words were cut off by Rose kissing him softly. The Doctor wasted no time returning the kiss. He shivered as Rose’s fingers made their way into his hair, her short nails scratching lightly at his scalp.

“I love you too, Doctor.” Rose whispered when she broke away from air. He smiled, his heart filled to bursting with happiness. 


End file.
